


Ready

by aquatarius



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/M, Pale Romance | Moirallegiance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-21
Updated: 2016-01-21
Packaged: 2018-05-15 07:15:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5776495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aquatarius/pseuds/aquatarius
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Equius is lost and Nepeta braves The Land of Caves and Silence to find him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ready

**Author's Note:**

  * For [navochao](https://archiveofourown.org/users/navochao/gifts).



  “Equius?” Nepeta stepped into the cave, and looked around. It was dark, but not something she couldn’t handle. She was a nocturnal creature, after all. It was more the silence that got her. How her words seemed to die off after only a few feet. The entire place made her want to not talk at all. She knew it was the land of Caves and _Silence_ but still…

  She shivered. Water dripped off of the tips of her claws. On the way into the caves, she had used her hands to deflect water, leaving her forearms soaked.  The water had been like ice and she was having trouble keeping warm now. Equius’s planet was one of the colder ones, and damp.

  “Hey!” She shouted. No wonder he had preferred coming to her own land.  The silence was probably as grating on him as it was on her. She stepped into a new cave and looked down a hole in the middle of the room. She wondered if she could climb down there. Or maybe she could just yell down.  Of course, that didn’t seem like it would work so well, being a _silent_ place.

  She tried anyway, screaming his name down. There was no response. Funny, he hadn’t responded to his messages, either.

  Not that Nepeta thought it was funny. Actually, she was beginning to get worried. Not in a ‘I’m so scared my moirails is dead, who’s going to protect me’ way, but more of a ‘I’m going to murder whoever hurt my big sweaty moirail’ way. Nepeta growled under her breath and started to climb down the hole.

  She got out some rope, tied it around a rock, and used it to hold herself up as she swung down the wall. She landed on the next level with a grunt, and left the rope there as she continued her journey. She called out his name every now and then, just in case fate suddenly decided to make life a little bit easier on her. She didn’t think it would, but it wouldn’t hurt to try.

  Her laptop began to ding at her and she huffed. She sat down, pressing her back against a wall and pulled it out. She swore, if this was Equius, she was going to _murder_ that big jerk for getting her all worried and making her climb through these awful caves.

  It was Terezi, as a matter of fact. She was in the middle of a quest, she claimed, and wanted to know how often Pounce had to eat. Nepeta responded in a rather snappish way, apologized for her snappish tone, and got off without waiting for a response. She continued to look for Equius.

  Hours later, she was cold, cold like ice going up and down her veins and her skin being numb. She wanted to curl up and take a long nap. She didn’t even know for certain that he was in the caves and no berating Gamzee or something.

  Just as Nepeta was considering giving up the search for Equius in the caves, there was a short, hoarse, scream. She snapped her head up and stumbled down the tunnel she was in. There, at the end of it, a new cave. Equius was on his knees, blood trickling from wounds on his shoulder and his leg.

  Nepeta skidded to a stop in front of Equius and lifted her arm in time to catch the imp’s club on her wrist. She twisted her wrist, ignoring the pain, and grabbed onto the imp’s forearm. She squeezed and leaned forward to hiss in its face. It made an awful noise and she slammed her head into the bridge of what might be its nose.

  A flick of her wrist and it was impaled on her claws. The next moment it was on the ground and black was dripping from her claws. She turned and stared for a second at Equius.

  His shirt was ripped and he was shaking. His lip was curled into a snarl. Nepeta’s heart ached for him. She stepped closer and lifted her hand up, offering it palm up. He hissed and she gently touched his cheek.

  “Shoooosh.” She whispered to him, petting his cheek. Some sweet dripped off his chin and she stepped closer to use her sleeve to clean it up. “Shooooosh, Equius.”

  “Sh-shut, up.” He muttered through clenched teeth. Nepeta rolled her eyes and grabbed a towel from the ground to wipe at his forehead.

  “Shooosh.” She dabbed him gently. After a few moments, He closed his eyes and leaned forward, barely touching his forehead to her stomach. Nepeta smiled and pet his hair.

  “I. Thank you, Nepeta.” He whispered into her shirt. She purred down to him, and then pulled him up. “I was afraid that I had finally made my last mistake.

  “A.C. got worried when you didn’t answer your messages! So I, she went looking for you. I’ve been searching for hours!” Nepeta scolded. She grabbed onto his hand, which remained limp, and began to tug him back down the halls to go to the nearest portal.

  “Has it really been hours?” Equius sounded rather surprised and Nepeta decided to let it slide that he’d worried her beyond belief. “I broke my communication device. I apologize, Nepeta, it was never my intention to cause you such worry.”

  “It’s fine, Equius.” She said, rolling her eyes a little. She grabbed onto one of the ropes she’d left behind and started to climb up. Equius simply jumped. “A.C. _purr_ gives you!”

  He made this irritated little sound in the back of his throat. Nepeta reached the top of the hole and trotted down the hall, smirking slightly to herself.

  “After all, everyone makes mistakes. Even _purr_ self. _Mew_ don’t need to worry.” She cooed cutely to Equius. He followed behind her, getting a sullen look on his face. He wasn’t stupid and he was realizing exactly what was happening. “ _Purr_ haps _mew_ should just think _aboat_ how _mewr_ actions in _purr-_ ”

  “Nepeta Leijon, that is a horrid stretch, even for you.” Equius interrupted. “I understand that you were worried and I apologize for not maintaining better contact. Are you going to continue to be a complete wriggler and make horrible puns for no other reason than to torture me with your mangling of our language, or can we be done?”

  “Awww! Maybe mew are just jealous that you can’t match my skills with puns.” Nepeta said. She found the next rope and gave up a mutter of thanks to Pounce for helping her hone her navigational skills.

  “I assure you I’m not.” Equius grumbled. Nepeta laughed and pulled herself up. Equius followed her, just jumping up onto the next platform. His strength had as many upsides as downsides, it seemed to Nepeta.

  She continued to lead them down the hall, bouncing occasionally. Equius was quiet, and Nepeta didn’t push him. After a little while, she slipped back a little to grab onto his hand and squeeze it gently. He smiled, but did not squeeze back.

  As soon as they returned to Nepeta’s planet, Nepeta bounded to her hive spot, and got on the computer to announce proudly to everyone that she had found Equius and he was just fine. She happened to do it on one of future Karkat’s silly memos and got banned from it promptly.

  She grabbed some bandages, and sat Equius down on a chair, then got to work cleaning up his wounds and bandaging them. He gave a few quiet mutters about how he didn’t need them and she shooshed him and continued to bandage her moirail. When she was done, she planted a kiss on his forehead.

  “All better!” She said. Hearing her voice normally again was a relief she didn’t think she’d ever get over. “Now, mister sweat-quius-”

  “Nepeta, for heaven’s sake.”

  “We are going on an adventure of my choosing. After which, we shall have a lovely tea party with Pounce and Aurther.” Nepeta said. “The only question is _where_ we are going to have an adventure!”

  “We will do no such thing. We both need rest and proper food.” He said. Nepeta grabbed his hand and tugged Equius to his feet. She began to drag him to the door. “Nepeta.”

  “Equius.”

  “Cease.”

  “No! Shouts the strong mountain lion proudly. She and her best friend are going on a lovely adventure, and that’s that!”

  “I believe I’m all adventured out.”

  “Nonesense, mister hooves.” Nepeta said. She pulled open the door and dragged Equius out. He sighed deeply and reluctantly trotted after her when she dropped his hand and started to walk. “We shall have a great contest of strength.”

  “Strength?”

  “Yes. Whoever gets the most grist is the winner!” She said. Equius gnawed on his lower lip for a few moments, and then gave a slow nod.

  “All right. I suppose that is an acceptable compromise.” He half muttered, although still not entirely sold on the idea. Nepeta bounced on her heels and then took off, bounding through her land. Equius equipped his fist kind and did the same after only a few moments of consideration. More grist was always useful.  

\--

  It turned out that Equius ended up getting the most grist, even though Nepeta killed more monsters. She grumbled about it on way back to her hive spot. It wasn’t that it was unfair, really, it just didn’t sit right that she killed more and still lost the game. There was nothing really right about the game all of them were actually playing, though.  It wasn’t in her nature to be a sore sport, and she was already mostly complained out during the walk back to her hive.

 Since Nepeta’s cave had been destroyed, she’d set up a small hive with some help from Eridan (Her server player, who’d complained the whole time.) and Equius. She wasn’t overly fond of it, but it was useful and comfortable and that’s really what mattered.

  Nepeta ducked back into her hive and pounced onto a resting platform. She yawned loudly and stretched out on it. Equius sat down on the other side and laid down on his back. Nepeta scooted closer, pressing her warm body against his cooler one.

  “Are we gonna have a nap?” She asked. Thoughts of her dream planet and exploring more there popped up in her mind and she purred softly. Equius grunted noncommittally. They probably shouldn’t have a nap, Nepeta thought, since they didn’t have any sopor. So they didn’t.

  For a little while, they sat there in silence. They didn’t sleep, not that they could without sopor. It was a nice, warm, peaceful silence that made Nepeta purr louder. They both ignored the quiet dings from their devices, telling them of the people trying to contact them. For now, there was only Nepeta and Equius.

  Then it was over. Equius sighed deeply and fished out his husktop. He checked his messages and Nepeta did the same. A message from Terezi, one for Gamzee that was meant for Eridan (gOt YoUr HaNdLeS aLl MiXeDeD uP), and one from Feferi sent from Sollux’s account and asking for some grist.

  “Get up. There’s a game to be beat, Nepeta.” He directed. She nodded and jumped off the resting platform. She equipped her sharpest claws and he got out a half broken bow. Nepeta lead the way out, and smiled sweetly at Equius. 

  “Ready, Equius?”

  “Ready, Nepeta.”


End file.
